Which items are primary components of a rescue anchor system?

• A. Anchor points, anchor lines, connectors (carabiners, slings), and load-distributing hardware with redundancy.
• B. Rope and protective gloves only.
• C. Belay devices and pulleys exclusively.
• D. Helmets and harnesses only.

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is that a rescue anchor system is a secure network that ties the load into solid supports in a way that distributes the force and provides backup paths. The best answer includes all the core pieces: anchor points (the actual places you tie into, like natural features or manufactured anchors), anchor lines (the rope or webbing that links those points together and to the load), connectors such as carabiners and slings (the hardware that joins everything and allows adjustments), and load-distributing hardware with redundancy (the methods and gear—like equalization configurations and multiple support points—that spread the load so no single point bears the full force and a backup path exists if one element fails).

Rope and gloves alone don’t establish or secure an anchor system; they’re part of handling the rope, not the anchor network. Belay devices and pulleys are used to control and manage rope movement, not to form the primary anchor setup. Helmets and harnesses are personal protective equipment and don’t constitute the anchor system itself.